His Sword Arm
by Spiritual Stone
Summary: Fi Gladios entered the Castle as aide to her father, a newly appointed advisor to the King. She was used to being unnoticed, being a quiet person, and somewhat preferred it that way. But Prince Link, being who he was, well. He'd never liked silence. Not to mention his sister...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everybody!**

**It's been a looooooong time since I wrote a Zelda fic, right? I've missed writing them. They can be so much fun, considering the ridiculous number of characters that're available to mess with. **

**And I only recently realized that I ADORE Fi. She is like, my new Navi. So, a story about Fi it is!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>His Sword Arm <strong>

**They Meet**

Fi Gladios was wandering around the Castle grounds, getting used to the maze of corridors that would act as her new home.

It was a lovely day, despite the nippy wind, which Fi in retrospect suspected was why so much laundry had been hoisted up, to take advantage of both sun and wind. She herself had decided to venture outside to admire the leaves, going from green to red and gold, a wonderful combination that only a select places in the country boasted, of which the Hyrule Castle Gardens was one of. It was when she was skimming the edges of these gardens that she heard the commotion, so suddenly erupting by her it felt like a bottle had been thrown and smashed at her feet. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on the subsequent conversation; she just had the (unfortunate) knack for going unnoticed, and happened to be a very good listener. Besides, if people didn't want others to hear what they were saying, they should speak with lower tones.

This child in particular didn't seem to understand the concept of low tones as he started screaming and rampaged through the courtyard by the corridor in which Fi had been walking, swinging a stick as he charged through the rows upon rows of sunning sheets on strings, the vast white linens billowing like sails.

Sails which were being torn down and stomped into the dirt. And all the while he kept _screaming_.

"What on earth-"

Fi stepped aside as a plump woman hurried past her, after the screaming child and the harassed maids, blinking. She watched the maids skitter to a stop at an archway that seemed to lead towards another courtyard, the plump woman right behind them, gasping, "Lord Prince!"

Fi raised her brows. Lord Prince, meaning Prince Link. Was that child that Prince? That couldn't be right, he was meant to be her age, around seventeen, not… ten? Younger?

Not, she reminded herself, that it was any of her business. As much as she wanted to go see the autumn leaves close-up, since the party of consternated adults seemed to concentrate around the archway leading to said leaves and trees, she would either have to wait or give up sightseeing for another day.

Another day, then, she decided, continuing on her walk with a mild sigh. With her father newly appointed advisor to the King she would have plenty of opportunities to visit the gardens.

"Yes!" came that little child's scream, making Fi jump, "And I'll do it again and again because I hate them _I hate them_!"

"Zelda!" said a young man's voice, shocked and reprimanding.

"_They said I killed my mother_!"

And the child broke into gut wrenching, inconsolable sobs.

Fi shivered. Goddesses, no wonder that boy (no, it must be a girl, they'd called her Zelda) had terrorised the young women; hearing that would turn anyone into a monster.

Fi hurried away, embarrassed that she had heard even that much. She would head to her new room, wipe her face down with a wet cloth and get ready for the Royal Hearing. Her father was going to be in attendance and she wanted to know what it was like; she was sure he wouldn't object, though the King may be another matter.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Fi had not taken the Prince into account.

She'd been right; he _was_ her age, though a year or two older. Handsome as rumoured, she supposed, though he seemed a rather... angry man. The scowl had been obvious when he and the King had entered the Throne Room, though that had disappeared in favour of a smile very quickly.

"Master Gladios," he greeted as the King nodded at her father, the two of them sweeping past for their ceremonial seats, "Good day to you,"

Fi briefly curtseyed, comfortable in the knowledge that she would go unnoticed for the rest of the Hearing.

Except she hadn't. Not even close.

She'd thought she'd imagined it after the first few complaints and issues had been discussed. Then, as she exchanged comments with her father she definitely saw a pair of eyes flicking away in her pereferrals, and then coming back to her. She felt his gaze on her, constantly coming back and fluttering around her like an errant moth. Between them was the King and her father so he had to glance around them both, him shifting his weight and darting his eyes just making it painfully obvious that he, in fact, was staring at her.

Worst of all she wasn't the only one to have caught on. The subjects saw his odd behaviour, searched for its reason, and found her. Often they smiled as they came to some fanciful conclusion, and Fi was mortified. What could possibly be so interesting about her, anyway? She'd heard rumours about herself, to be sure, none of them good (none of them terrible either, but the point still stood) but were any of those worthy of warranting such attention? No. Never.

Either way, it was such an affront to her usual sense of existence she felt completely off-kilter, and worse, he was the _Prince_. It was his duty to pay attention to his people and he decided to divide it between them and _her_? For some, cheap entertainment value? Fi turned her head and watched the Prince till he inevitable tried to give her a furtive look, and their eyes met, and he looked somewhere beyond her before slowly, deliberately, looking away.

It was a long Hearing.

Once done the King stood to converse with his advisors (her father last of all, since he was the newest blood), which she used to her advantage. This affront could not be left unsaid, undiscussed. She would be civil about it, of course, her father's career depended on her irreproachable behaviour. But she was going to give him a piece of her mind, no question on _that_.

Schooling her features, she cleared her throat. "Prince Link."

She saw the muscles of his back tense at her voice, turning around from the circle of nobles with a Princely smile on his face.

"Lady Fi, good day to you."

She nodded back, her expression blank. "I do not mean to seem forward, my Lord, but why were you staring at me?"

His smile slipped. "Ah, well… was I?"

"You were looking at me for most of the first half of the Hearing, I believe."

He gave an embarrassed cough, and after a hasty look at the ceiling, nodded. "Yes, I may have."

She cocked an eyebrow, a move she'd practiced in the mirror for the past year. "I… see."

"Master Gladio spoke only after consulting you," Prince Link added, rather hurriedly, she thought, "I found that interesting. Your opinion must be worth much, if an advisor such as your father seeks it."

Fi cocked her head, a little surprised that he had noticed that. Then again, how could he not, after staring at her so much? "If that is the case, I would have thought the first few minutes would have sufficed to come to that conclusion."

That undid him. Colour rose to his cheeks and he stammered, looking anywhere but at her. Fi braced herself for a childish excuse, already concocting a few choice words about responsibilities and power as he admitted: "I, well, yes. It, it's just, well you see I uh, I noticed that you're very pretty. I couldn't… stop looking."

Fi's tally of stock phrases halted. Her small tower of affront crumbled. Out of all the answers she'd been expecting, that was on the bottom of the list. She doubted it would have even _been_ on the list. Intelligently, she replied: "Oh."

He hurried on, virtually tripping over his own tongue to speak, "I meant no disrespect, and I do think what I thought about your opinion, I mean…" he glanced back at the group of adults, and she felt herself blush, _really_ blush, because how embarrassing would this be if any of them were paying enough attention to them to hear what was going on? "If most of what Master Gladios said was influenced by you, then you have excellent judgement. I hope I haven't offended you with my… attention."

He looked like such a hopeless puppy she didn't know whether to be amused or pained by his expression. Opting to not look at it in favour of retaining her sanity, Fi smiled at herself for thinking him a rather adorable young man. "Now that I know why, I'm more inclined to feel flattered, Prince Link."

"Actually," he added, surprising her, "There's a matter that I could use some advice on. About my little sister. Would you, no, _could_ you indulge me with a moment of your time?"

Fi blinked, surprised by such show of decency (_honest_ decency, at that) by this Prince; he could have ordered her help, which wasn't unusual considering how many people asked for her counsel, but it had always been expected, an entitled _thing_ instead of a gift. What was more, he had given her an out, despite the fact that she couldn't really refuse, considering who he was. Yet he had given her one anyway.

Fi was intrigued, more than a little flattered, and impressed. "It would be an honour, Prince Link."

"Oh, great. Thank you. One moment." he stepped aside to have a word with the King and her father, who both nodded, and Link returned to her and led her away, which was puzzling.

"...Where are we going?" she asked, once he closed the servants' door to the Throne Room.

"The gardens," he replied, leading the way, "They're the pride of the Castle at this time of year."

"I have heard," Fi conceded, though cocking her head none the less. "Is this relevant to this advice about your sister?"

"No," he admitted, glancing back at the door, "But I needed a pretext to have a private word with you."

Interesting. "You do not want the King to know you're seeking my advice."

He winced, but nodded. "He thinks the matter settled."

"Ah."

They walked in silence for a while, attracting curious stares from the staff as the two of them strolled on. Link greeted his subjects warmly by name, and they in turn addressed him with honest fondness, a compliment she could not say of her own brother with their own staff. She noticed that he wore his thin crown under his hair, the blonde covering the gold and silver of his station, making it barely visible. He enquired after her mood and whether she looked forward to living here (she was fine, and yes), commented on the weather and asked about her home in the Skyloft Cliffs.

"It'll be getting much colder, which I won't be missing. The birds, on the other hand..."

His eyes lit up at the mention of birds. "Do you have a Loftwing of your own?"

"I do, yes. A White with blue wings. I named her Sheerow."

"Sheerow?"

"I mispronounced 'White' in Old Hylian as a child. She responds to nothing else now."

The Prince grinned. "I have a hawk named Hawkie, if that makes you feel any better?"

Fi did snort, and she did feel less silly. By then they were entering the gardens, and she marvelled at the marbled hues of autumn in the trees. There were only evergreens on the cliffs, or shrubs that frosted white in winter and bloomed very briefly in summer; the spectrum of colour in these maidenhairs and fire-maples were incomparable to the dreary autumns of home.

She found herself staring at the rustling leaves for a long time, and the Prince sitting at a bench, fiddling with a fallen leaf the colour of cherries.

"Forgive me," she said, sitting beside him, "I'd almost forgotten why you brought me here."

He grinned. "Do you like autumn?"

She shrugged. "I prefer winter."

"Really? I have a soft spot for spring."

She smiled. "You sought my advice, your Highness?"

"Oh. Yes. Um," abashed, he tore a small line into the the leaf, sighing. "My sister. She needs to be punished for having a tantrum, and my father thinks two weeks is sound, but I… I think it's too long."

She cocked her head. "Two weeks of what?"

"I don't even know," he snorted, rolling his eyes, "That is, apparently, my decision."

"What exactly was this tantrum about?"

He tore the leaf messily in half. "She heard something that upset her. Eavesdropping on some linen girls, probably, and then… for the lack of a better word, she went on a rampage."

Oh, Goddesses. That incident before the Hearing, _that_ had been the Princess?

"I see. Do you…" she faltered, not sure whether she should let on that she knew of the incident. "Do you believe the way she reacted was justified?"

He tore the leaf again. "_Yes_. If what she heard was _exactly_ what they said, then yes."

"Yet you have to punish her, regardless."

He threw the leaf pieces down, scowling. "Of course I do, she disrupted their work and acted like… I don't know. But it's not the way a young lady should act, especially in her position."

"How old is she?"

"Ten."

"I have a cousin that age," Fi sympathised, wincing, "It's hardly fair on them to expect such decorum. Yet we do."

"Which is why I think two weeks is too harsh. I could probably justify keeping the punishment to weekdays, but still."

"Hm." Fi thought of her little cousin back home, imagined what she would have done in that same situation. She cringed at the imagined rain of broken pots. "She would have to clean up the mess she made, then, wouldn't she?"

"Already done, though not by her. The staff here need to keep moving, constantly, and I needed to get her away from there." Link rubbed his face with a tired groan. "_I_ needed to get away from there."

"Mm," Fi pressed her forefinger against her lips, nodding. "And I suppose she has lessons to keep up with on a daily basis? So you would need to work around that time constraint also."

"Yes."

"What exactly is this punishment you're thinking of?"

"I suppose…" his knee jiggled in a habit her brother liked to call the Peasant's Jig. His thumbs twiddled too, his body a nervous decision-making ball. "Father did say she should help their work, and I can't think of anything better, or worse, so that would be it. Helping their work."

"So, you do not want to punish her, because you understand her upset, but must. She must continue her studies but work at once, which is impossible, unless certain times are allocated from one to the other. Finally, you do not want to seem the villain to her."

He stopped and looked at her, smiling wryly. "You've summarised it perfectly."

"I apparently have a gift for stating the obvious."

He grinned wider. "Then what should I do, if it's so obvious?"

"She simply need not help for long periods of time in the day. Allocate two hours, perhaps in the morning, a day. I'm sure the staff, considering their regard for you, would be happy to compromise on arrangements for Princess Zelda. And once these two weeks are done, reward her. Perhaps with the knowledge that she would be earning a treat at the end would motivate her to take this… exercise, let us a call it, with grace."

Fi never quite understood why people stared at her like that once she dispensed her advice, considering it all seemed like such common sense. Usually it gave her no sense of satisfaction (in fact it usually made her lament the mental capacity of her peers) to state the obvious, as her little cousin had so aptly put it.

But when Prince Link huffed with a self-deprecating roll of his eyes, Fi found herself smiling.

"Well," he said, "I feel like an idiot now."

"Why?"

"Because what you told me was so obvious it's disturbing I didn't come up with it myself."

She snorted.

"Do you do this all the time? Suffer people coming to you for answers they should already have?"

"I wouldn't go so far as say 'suffer'..." she demurred, but Link shook his head.

"You're too kind. Thank you. This has… really helped."

"It was my pleasure, Lord Prince," she replied, and for the first time in a while, she meant it.

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><p><strong>I promise I'll try to update as often as I possibly can. XD Especially since I don't technically have anything to do now, except possibly write an essay. <strong>

**Please leave a review!**

**Sincerely,**

**S.S.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hello Everyone! :)

Aaaah, another chapter to this fic. To be honest, at first it was just meant to be a collection of drabbles featuring Fi in the life of the Castle, as a companion fic to another Zelda story in the works, but I have a suspicion that this may be developing a plot of its own. Yay?

Anyway, here it is, I hope you enjoy!

**...**

**His Sword Arm - 2**

She met Zelda in the library when the land had fallen victim to a blizzard.

Well, that was inaccurate. Fi had been in the castle for a number of weeks by the harsh winds had hit the country, and Fi had _seen_ the girl a few times, during feasts, in the corridors, playing with her friends, but they hadn't necessarily talked to each other or interacted on a deep level. They had simply skated by the other, lives brushing at the edges of their spheres.

It was meant to be the coldest winter since time immemorial, but Fi was of the opinion that on the grounds that it was virtually impossible to measure, it was a silly claim to make. It was _freezing_, of course, the snow-storm outside the windows spoke for her and everybody else, and if this winter was to be as cold as well as long, then it would be a lean one.

Lean winters meant spending long hours doing one's best to stay still, or risking going hungry. That year chess and book-reading and crafting gained popularity, for which Fi was a little irked; she enjoyed the library because it was _silent_, not full of people showing a fleeting interest in literature just to stave off boredom or use it as a pretext to socialize. So she'd retreated to the corner full of religious texts and dull histories, where she found herself accompanied by a seven year old girl.

They hardly noticed each other, in all honesty. They'd been sharing the same space for a week before Fi _really _noticed her, and even then that was because of the rising tower of books that Zelda had been accumulating, shaping into a fort. Fi stared at the three walls of knowledge and stories that had become a handspan high, Zelda sitting in the middle of it, leaning her back against a shelf.

Fi curtseyed, as was expected of her. "Your Grace."

Zelda looked up from her construction, bobbed her head. "My Lady."

And that was that. Fi returned to her favourite chair, opening her book on myths and parables, as Zelda perused through her own books. They spent another week that way, simply acknowledging the other before minding their own business, occasionally sharing a word or a recommendation, comfortable in their own worlds.

Till Fi got sick.

She'd stupidly left a heating crystal in said library and had gone to bed without it, and the night chill had gotten into her bones and throat and it left her shaking, aching, miserable and immobile within two days. She'd hardly eaten previously, and now she barely ate at all; the healer was worried that she would not make a quick recovery. Fi just shivered, thinking of her small loftwing back on the cliffs. She hoped Sheerow was hibernating safely in her winter cage, warm and without fever, unlike her.

Third day into her sickness, she was met with a surprise visitor.

"My Lady?"

Fi made a noise.

"Princess Zelda is here."

Fi's second noise had a question mark at the end.

"She is insisting on seeing you. Are you well enough to…?"

What could she do? It was _Princess_ Zelda, after all. Nodding, Fi gestured with a hand and the nurse let the girl in.

"My Lady," Zelda greeted without preamble, "Are you alright?"

Fi tried (valiantly, she thought), to get up, but her arms barely rose an inch. She croaked an apology for her state and Princess Zelda told her not to be stupid, to which she snorted, stabbing herself with a migraine. Wincing, Fi squinted at the girl, wondering why she had come all the way to her room. Close up, she didn't look much like Link. Her eyes were more violet than blue, her hair was darker, almost redder, and the shape of her face probably took after the deceased Queen.

Zelda frowned at the wet cloth on Fi's forehead, and took it off to dunk it in the bowl of cold water at her bedside table.

"Don' do that,"

"Why?" messily she wrung it out, wetting her sleeves and smattering water across the table, her small hands not quite strong enough to dry it fully. When Zelda placed it over Fi's forehead again, it soaked her hair and beaded over her eyes.

"You'll 'et sick."

"I don't get sick," Zelda said rather proudly, tucking the edges of Fi's thick blanket around her head before pulling a chair next to the table, "One time the castle had Gibdo Flu and Link got sick twice, but I was fine. Link doesn't remember it much."

Fi shivered for reasons that had nothing to do with her illness.

"Where were you up to?" Zelda added obliviously, confusing Fi. When she looked up she found Zelda holding up the book Fi had started the previous day, an anthology of ancient fairy tales. "I'll read it to you."

Fi wasn't sure if it was appropriate reading for the Princess; there were many atrocities detailed in those stories. "Uh…"

"Never mind, I found your marker." Zelda pulled out a knotted string with a feather attached to it, and started reading. Helpless to stop her Fi resigned herself to listening, the Princess sometimes struggling with the longer words. She stayed to read for just under two hours, in which Fi intermittently dozed, still not sure why Zelda was doing this. On placing the book well away from the cold bowl of water, Zelda refreshed Fi's wet cloth (wringing it more tightly this time) before bidding farewell.

"Thank you," Fi whispered, struggling to form words through her strangled throat, "But why…?"

"You weren't at the library."

"...Ah."

"I'll read again to you tomorrow," Zelda promised with a hug before scampering off, "Sleep well, my Lady."

Fi, funnily enough, did sleep well that night.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Zelda was reading to her again the next day when they were joined by another surprise visitor.

"My lady?"

Still unable to fully get up, Fi was curled up on her side and officially without a voice. She had a piece of paper and quill to communicate with people, however, though she was careful to not spill any ink on the sheets. Fi simply wrote a question mark as an answer, and the maid continued on, "Prince Link is at the door."

Fi blinked. She shifted, looking round to see his sister's expression, who stopped reading and hastily sat on the book and reached for another one. Fi winked at Zelda, making her sigh deeply in relief, and nodded at the maid. Pillows were heaped up behind her till she looked comparatively decent, and with that and a soft word, Prince Link entered, looking nervous. "I didn't see you at the Hearing today. Are you… how long have you been sick?"

Fi lifted four fingers.

"Oh. I'm sorry for not realising sooner."

"Why?"

Link jumped at the voice that harped from the other side of the bed, and he looked somewhat affronted. "Zelda? What are you doing here?"

"I'm reading to her," Zelda replied rather haughtily, "She's _my _friend."

Fi vaguely wondered if Zelda even knew her name.

As for the Prince he looked completely confused, looking from one to the other. "How do you two even know each other?"

"She reads with me in the library," Zelda said at the same time as Fi wrote 'library' on her piece of paper. "And she didn't come the other day so I looked for her."

Link gave a pained expression that Fi quickly fixed by writing how a pleasurable companion Zelda had been in her sickness. The Prince visibly bit back a sigh, eyes flicking between the two girls. "So, what have you been reading?"

Zelda opened her mouth, closed it, and looked at the title. "Herbs of Hyrule."

Fi forced back a smile as Link skeptically repeated it.

"It's interesting!" Zelda protested, perhaps a tad too much as she wriggled on the book of gory fairytales, "I learned about, um, we just started on…" she flicked through to any page and hurriedly picked a paragraph. "The Horseshoe weed, it, it's historically used as a herding aide in the southern regions of Hyrule, thought to ori, o-ri-gi-nate in Ordon."

"Right," he drawled, pulling up a chair, "What else does it say?"

"What? Oh, uh…" Zelda went back to the book, but scowled. "Wait, why do I have to read to _you_?"

"Can't _I_ be curious about herbs of Hyrule?" he teased, making her scowl deeper, "Maybe we could go look for them when we go hunting next time."

"_You_ read it, then," she huffed, getting off her stool and in effect knocking the book they'd been originally reading onto the floor. The thump made the Princess freeze, guiltily.

Fi quickly diverted Link's suspicious attention by coughing.

"Look what you _did_ Lord Stupid!" Zelda accused as he floundered and apologised for disturbing her and Fi choked on a laugh and coughed some more, helplessly stuck between amusement and pain till Zelda was rushing around the bed and apologising too and Link was passing her a glass of water.

Taking careful sips with one hand she wrote with the other: Lord Stupid?

Link groaned.

"Because I'm more stupid than Prince, _apparently_," he grumbled, ruffling Zelda's hair and making her squawk indignantly, "We should go, being here would only disturb you."

"But I haven't been disturbing her!"

"Well you are now. And Lady Impaz was looking for you."

Zelda whined petulantly.

"Bid her good day, now," he prompted, and Zelda gave her big brother a very dirty look.

"Good day, Lady Fi," she muttered, dispelling any doubt on whether she knew Fi's name or not, "And can I read to you again tomorrow?"

Fi nodded as Link made to admonish her, adding on her piece of paper, please.

"Yes!" she gave Fi a hug before trotting off through the door. Then came back, scowling. "Link, you came to see Fi because she was sick, didn't you?"

Link rolled his eyes. "Obviously. And?"

"Why didn't you bring flowers? You're meant to bring flowers to sick people, aren't you?"

Link opened his mouth, closed it, and Fi suppressed a grin. Of course, as a Prince, he couldn't. It would imply that he felt for her romantically, and considering he was courting Lady Cremia Lon, well. Bringing flowers would have been a disaster.

Taking his stunned silence as a win Zelda gave a victorious crow. "See? Lord _Stupid_!"

For the first time real steel entered his tone: "Zelda!"

"Don't speak loudly by a sick person," she whispered conspiratorially and with that darted out of her room.

Link buried his face into his hands, and Fi helplessly giggled. The Prince smiled sheepishly and asked her permission on whether he could sit down, and Fi nodded, gesturing encouragement. He made to do so, but paused, and frowning quizzically stepped around her bed to pick up the book Zelda had so keenly hid, and twisted his mouth at the title. "Goddesses. She was making you listen to this?"

Fi shook her head, pointing at herself.

"_Really_? May I ask why?"

Morals, she wrote, as he circled back to his seat, bringing the book with him. He gave a conceding grunt as he flicked through the pages, and winced when he saw the rather vivid accounts of pillaging, murder, and the atrocities of war. "Morals indeed."

Forgive me, she wrote, It is not appropriate material for Princesses.

"As if you could've stopped her," he sighed, smiling ruefully, "Thank you for putting up with my sister."

Fi shook her head. Thank her for me, she jotted, making him snort.

"That would inflate her ego to the point of no return."

Fi smiled, closing her eyes.

"I'll leave you alone, now," Link said, placing the book on her table, "You look exhausted."

Fi shrugged, eyes still closed. She thought she felt him touch the cloth across her forehead, but she was already dozing off, dreaming of herbs telling crowns they were stupid.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

At Zelda's insistence Fi had some juice while she listened to the girl's story-telling, and promised to have some warm soup later. The next day she was _hungry_; instead of reading the two of them asked for sandwiches and mince tarts, with a jug of milk. Fi mostly listened to Zelda telling her of a friend named Agitha who was borderline obsessed with insects, and since Agitha couldn't visit during the winter, Zelda had spent most of her time in the library looking up said insects and their golden counterparts to impress the odd girl when they were reunited.

"Me and Link found a golden pillbug when we went hunting in autumn," Zelda said around her milk-moustache, "And Agitha wanted it so I gave it to her. She gave me a necklace back."

"She sounds wonderful."

"She's very nice," Zelda agreed solemnly, "But a little weird."

Fi smiled, nibbling on a crust of bread as she watched the Princess swing her legs from the tall stool, contemplating her glass of milk as if life's answers were floating in there, though now that Fi thought on it, one _could_ argue that to be the case...

"Why is your hair so blue?"

Fi blinked. "The same as you having yellow hair."

Zelda pursed her lips, staring at her milk again. "So… you just, have it."

"Yes."

"But Master Gladios has black hair."

"But _his_ father's was blue."

"Oh." the little Princess processed this, as Fi wondered why this was suddenly so important to the girl. "What about your mother?"

"My mother was white," Fi said, beginning to understand, "My brother inherited that."

"...You have a brother too?"

"Yes. He's my twin."

"I bet he's stupid," Zelda mumbled, taking a sip from her glass.

Fi only wished that was the case. An awkward pause followed, in which Zelda squirmed and apologised for calling her brother stupid, and Fi nodded and said it was alright. Zelda buried her face in her glass, her whole body tense.

"Zelda?"

Zelda looked up, her eyes glassy, and Fi patted the mattress invitingly. The girl shot off her stool and sat at Fi's side as the recovering young woman sat up a little straighter, putting aside her sandwich. She hadn't washed in almost a week, and her hair was a tangled mess, and she probably stank like a mouldy blanket, but Zelda still sat close to her, almost huddling.

"My mother had purple hair," the little girl said, "Like lavenders. You can tell from the portraits."

Fi nodded, circling an arm round her shoulders.

"Why do you cut yours so short?"

That question she had heard often. "Because it's practical."

"Can I brush it?"

_That _was unexpected. "Oh. Well, I guess, yes. Of course."

And that was how Link found them, Zelda brushing Fi's blue hair, not really speaking to each other. Link offered to read to them both, and he picked up _Herbs of Hyrule_ (winking at Fi) until they had to get back to their duties or studies, and Fi thanked them both as they left.

She opened the book to continue on, rather curious about the grapes that were named Light Tears and bloomed only in moonlight. She found a new page-marker made of waxed parchment, dried pink and blue fairiwinkles pressed into its weave.

She held it, unsure what to make of it.

...

**There you are!**

**Here are the review replies:**

_**MasterShortPantsx3**_**: Oooh yay! Yeah, there aren't nearly enough Fi stories, considering how much potential she has. Thanks for the review, and hope you enjoyed this chapter too. :)**

_**Ayako**_** Zetra: I hope I've managed to maintain the coolness, lol. **

**aquila333: Long time no see! You have no idea how good it was to see your name again. XD Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to hearing from you again!**

**Also, thank you to** _**Tloz-H50 **_**and **_**Wildgirl404 **_**for their favourites, as well as _xXnekoneechanXx _and _Silva Jadefang, _for the alerts. Much appreciated, people! XD**

**Sending me more reviews would be awesome. They make my day. **

**S.S.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! This is the final chapter that focuses on character introduction, and beyond that, FINALLY, IT'S GOING TO BE PLOT-BASED. This is what happens when you decide to turn a couple of character based drabbles into an actual story, right? Right? **

**Anyway. **

**Here you meet Fi's twin, mentioned in previous chapter. GUESS WHO IT IS. **

**Review replies are at the bottom! Enjoy. :)**

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><p><strong>His Sword Arm - 3<strong>

Fi had never really thought on her brother meeting the Royal Family, simply because it was inevitable. Well, inevitable as soon as he took up residence in the Castle with them all. One's father advised the other, and she sometimes interacted with the Prince after Hearings; why _wouldn't_ they cross paths? It may not come to pass, say, within the next few days or weeks or even months (years was more a fancy than a possibility) but it would. It was pointless worrying. In fact, there shouldn't have been a reason _to_ worry.

She had totally forgotten what kind of person her twin was.

"Ghirahim's coming tonight?"

"He is coming _today_," her father corrected as the manservants withdrew the empty plates and replaced them with glasses filled with flowered melt-water, "In time for the afternoon gathering of squires."

Fi blinked, stunned. She barely remembered to murmur thanks to the manservants before taking up the glass, sipping the fragrant water. A petal tickled her lip as it trembled on the water's surface. Why hadn't she been _told_? "You hope he will be selected."

"I _know_ he will be selected."

Fi frowned, placing the glass down to hide her still trembling hands under the table, fisting them. "Why would he be? His skills as a Page is suspect, his swordsmanship untested, and his character is dubious at best. Why would the Knights even consider him a viable candidate?"

Her father narrowed his eyes at her, his mouth a hard line. "You think your brother unworthy?"

"I speak from their perspective. What I think personally is irrelevant here." Fi looked away, deciding against pointing out that if Father hadn't sent Ghirahim Goddesses knew where for his 'training' this uncertainty wouldn't have hung over her twin's head. She didn't comment on the fact that _neither_ of them had told her where he'd gone off to for the last three years, either.

There was being truthful, and then there was whining.

"Hmph," he said, gulping the water down as if it were sour nettle juice. "Only fools would not choose Ghirahim."

Fi decided not to comment on _that_, either.

Breakfast finished civilly enough, though Fi found the spring-melt wanting in its duty to clean her palette. Maybe she couldn't really blame it; Ghirahim _always_ managed to leave a bad taste lining her teeth. His letters, old memories of him, little things that piled up to a general impression that she really didn't like her counterpart. She just hoped that he had matured during his... travels.

She really wished she hadn't wished that.

After her morning lessons Fi'd wandered into the servants' halls, asking after the Knights as well as the First Squires that were to choose their seconds. She'd wanted to know what the Knights were like, what their habits were, how well they treated their Firsts, not to mention speculate with the older maids and mistresses about what kind of Seconds these men and boys would be looking for. Fi took notes on her inner sleeves before thanking them all, telling them that she would be available if they needed anything. She doubted they would take her up on the offer, however; servants didn't make requests of nobility.

She frowned as she wandered back towards the courtyard, where the contest would be in full swing soon enough. Prince Link was seventeen, which meant he was a First Squire to one of the Knights. Technically _all _ the Knights, since as future King he wasn't allowed to have sole loyalty to just one fighter. Which meant he would be there, which meant he and Ghirahim would be meeting.

Father had said that Ghirahim would arrive in time for the Choosing, which meant enough time to have luggage sorted, washed and dressed in appropriate garb. Which, on checking the time by the angle and length of the shadow of her finger against a windowsill, meant he would be arriving _any_ second now.

Goddesses. She would be reuniting with her brother after three years apart. With barely _any_ correspondence between them.

What would he be like?

Fi veered towards the stables, and enquired whether Ghirahim Gladios' horses had been rested yet. The stable boys told her no, so she thanked them and requested word be sent to her when he arrived. Then she hurried back to her room to freshen up and change into more appropriate garb for herself, quickly copying the smudging notes on her sleeve onto more secure paper.

Should she mention Ghirahim to the Prince?

Immediately she shook that off. It was the Knights choosing their second squires, but Firsts still had influence over decisions; the process was meant to be fair, and possibly pointing out a young man to the Prince that he was her brother (a _twin_, on top of it all) would tarnish that fairness.

So no. She would only introduce them afterwards.

Happy with that decision Fi picked up a few books on logistics she'd finished to return them to the library, careful to extract the pagemarker Prince Link had given her over the winter. She still didn't know what to make of it; was it a gesture of appeasement aimed at Zelda for her remark about giving sick people flowers? After all, Fairywinkles (especially pink) were known for soothing headaches when brewed with willowbark tea. It was the most rational explanation Fi could come up with. Sillier ones that had danced through her head was that he'd noticed how worn her own pagemarker had been, and how often she was using it, so had simply gifted her a spare (the fairywinkles having missed his consideration). Or he really had just wanted to give her flowers, plainly and simply.

Which was absurd. He was still courting Lady Cremia Lon, and they'd known each other for the total of half a year. Maybe more, perhaps, but not by much.

Tucking the pagemarker up her sleeve, Fi headed towards the library, eyes drifting out the windows, to the spring sky. The wisteria in the gardens bloomed like hanging spools of amethysts and pearls, woven into walls of dark emerald ivy. Some daisies dared to spot the lawns of grounds where the Choosing was to be held, beyond which were some enthusiastic boys swinging swords at each other, likely to try impress the early Knights and spectators before the event.

Fi stopped, pressing her nose against glass, suddenly concerned that some blows exchanged weren't all that friendly. In fact, one of the boys seemed to be goading-

White hair.

"Mother above."

Fi _dashed_. Burst through a servants' door, leaped down stairs, staggered and lurched towards the gardens and she forced herself to stop right outside to make sure she looked decent (as decorum demanded _damn it_) before flitting into the courtyard, and sure enough Ghirahim was menacing _Prince Link_.

She would have thrown a _book_ at him, if it wasn't an insult to said book.

"Ghirahim," Fi said instead, firmly and with command. "That is our Crown Prince you're threatening. The appropriate greeting would be to bow, not to stick a weapon in his neck."

Both men turned, similar looks of surprise widening their eyes. As much as she would have prefered to meet the Prince's gaze, her twin took priority simply because he was the volatile one. It didn't help that he was smiling.

"Fi, my dear Lady Sister," he crooned with no small hint of sarcasm, retracting his blade from the Prince's. "You look well."

"And yourself," she curtseyed briefly, books still in hand. "Though I believe we both owe an apology to the Prince."

"Oh come now-"

"He's your _brother_?" the Prince looked incredulously between the two of them, and Fi reminded herself to school her features against his affront. "You had a brother."

"My older twin, Lord Prince. Ghirahim Gladios. I was informed just this morning that he would be arriving tonight. I wasn't aware he was here until, well." she levelled a cold look at her twin. "Until I saw the sparring."

"Infamy," Ghirahim sighed, flouncing towards her and slinging an arm over her shoulder as he swung his blade in a wide arc towards the sky, "What would I do without it?"

"Live a more peaceful life I would imagine," was her dry reply, eyeing the weapon's trajectory with outward boredom. Her white-knuckled fingers gripping her books told another story entirely. "Why did you not tell me you would be here? _One letter,_ Ghirahim, would have sufficed."

Her brother smiled, that smile that she realised she'd missed, that smug little curl that managed to be patronizing and fond and proud all at once. He had always been the expressive of the two, the bright fierce phoenix born alongside the common thrush, and the way he preened under her reproach and kissed her hair put her at ease, despite herself. Even if he _was_ almost pressing the edge of the blade right against her throat.

"Fi, letters are more your domain, not mine."

"Clearly. Prince Link," she added, bowing her head in apology, "I ask you forgive my brother for his indiscretion, and I hope he wasn't too obnoxious a menace."

"I resemble that remark," he smirked, tossing his mane of snowy hair from his face. "And repeat its message. You have my apology, Lord Prince."

Prince Link looked positively apoplectic, his eyes dancing between the twins, eerily disimilar in all ways except how they stood, the easy proximity of siblings, the set of their shoulders. He sheathed his sword, deliberately slowly, and accepted their apology with equal amounts of grace and threat before spinning round and leaving them. Ghirahim gave a theatrical shrug as he retracted his sword and sheathed it too, winking.

Fi let a long, long breath out and glowered at her twin. "Goddesses I hate you sometimes."

"Lies damage the soul, Fi," he stuck out his tongue at her, still smirking. "And it shows on your face."

"Considering the lack of humanity on yours, that sounds about right."

"You can have your humanity and mortality; this face belongs to a god."

"Don't tempt me to snare you in a temple and trap you there, godling."

"I'd smite you first."

"With your pretty pretty face and your silly little lies? Try me."

"Goddesses be thanked my sister isn't an airhead," he laughed, his grin fierce and eyes derisive as he scanned the faces that'd stopped to stare at his match, some of them hastily scuttling away under his gaze. When he looked at her once more his smile twisted with displeasure. "How do you _stand_ them?"

"I keep to myself," Fi shrugged, wincing as she loosened her hold on her books, her arms still tense from stopping the disastrous sparr, "And talk to people who interest me."

"Which usually excludes any adult under forty. That can't be good for your social spheres."

"A _sphere _is a generous term," Fi admitted ruefully, "A _dot_ would perhaps be more suitable."

"Fi, Fi, Fi," he sighed, circling an arm around her shoulder again, "Sometimes I wonder if I've taught you anything at all."

She snorted, shaking him off. "As if I would be mad enough to be a student to you."

"Where are you going?" he frowned, all vestiges of his smile gone as he matched her steps with strides of his own, maintaining the distance between them. "Aren't you going to watch me be Chosen?"

Fi allowed herself to roll her eyes, letting a hint of a sneer to colour her tone. "Your confidence astounds me."

"Hey," he snarled, his face all angles and edges, "I just made a fool out of the Prince; if you hadn't interrupted I _would_ have beaten him, and what Knight in their right mind _wouldn't _choose me for it?"

"It's _because_ you've supposedly made a _fool_ of the Prince that you may not be Chosen!" she hissed as she whirled on him, unable to ride in her ire, "A Page learns his duties, a Squire learns his loyalties, and a Knight applies them both in the name of the Royal Family, _of which Prince Link_ _is a part of_. Well done, you have skills that surpass your peers; what a shame that it is accompanied by _pride _big enough to blind you to the fact, that if you seem untrustworthy to your King or Queen, you would _never_ be allowed a position at their table. Goddesses, Ghee, you may have ruined this chance for the sake of your own _ego._ You could have ruined _mine_!"

Ghirahim blinked, and scowled thoughtfully, watching her blush with embarrassment, reigning in her temper. "_Your_ chance? For… you're still chasing that dream of yours?"

"Why _else_ would I be here?"

"Honestly? To find a husband."

Fi visibly gritted her teeth, and Ghirahim raised his hands in apology. "Easy now, I was only poking fun." he even stepped back, giving her space, for which she was grudgingly grateful for. "And you've been spouting off on your grand schemes even before I left, sister mine. I'd thought they were, well, childish fancies."

"Is _your_ scheme to be the greatest sorcerer and swordsman of Hyrule a childish fancy?"

He glowered at her. "You know the answer to that."

Fi sucked in a slow, deep breath and schooled her features once more, poised and deliberate. "Then you know the answer to mine."

"Hmph," he grumbled, looking away, and Fi gently touched his arm.

"You look well, by the way, Lord Brother," she said, making his lip twitch in a smile, "And if your playmate hadn't been the Prince, I would have been impressed. At least, I wouldn't have been so terrified for all our careers, Father's included."

Ghirahim winced. "I hadn't taken that into account."

She couldn't help a little snort. "I figured as much. Besides that, in the event that you _did_ impress a rather reckless Knight and his First Squire, would you care to join me for tea? I have some excellent blends, and I would be honoured to hear of your travels."

"Is 'blends of tea' a codex for 'selection of grogs'?"

"It could be."

"Oh _Fi_," he drawled, sweeping away in a flourish of arms and cloak, sticking out his tongue at her in a show of amusement and challenge and derision, "How you keep me on my toes."

And how you keep me on mine, she thought tiredly, turning away with a small wave.

… … … … …

"Lady Fi?"

Fi looked up from the maps she had borrowed from the archives, matching the borders with those mentioned in the texts on logistics she'd recently finished, finding herself confused and lost without them. She was even more confused and lost when she saw the young woman addressing her, knowing the face but unsure which name it belonged to. A beautiful redhead, her dress an unusual mesh of stylish and practical in hues of browns and whites, she stood almost nervously as she asked whether she could sit down, and Fi nodded, still trying to figure out who she was.

The redhead sat down, and politely declined a cup of tea that Fi offered. "I heard from Link that you were in some danger this afternoon, are you… were you hurt?"

Fi blinked. Then it clicked; only one person outside the Royal family would dare refer to Link so familiarly. "I don't believe I was in any danger, Lady Lon, though I thank you for your concern."

She smiled, a small huff of relief escaping her full lips. "Please, call me Cremia."

"Lady Cremia, then," she acceded, "I confess I don't know how I could have been in danger; who told you this… rumour?"

"It's no rumour, I heard from Link himself! He told me you were essentially taken hostage by someone claiming to be your brother?"

"Ghirahim? How…" then Fi remembered how her twin had wrapped an arm around her shoulder, the way he had pressed that blade to her neck. To her it had felt like a hug; a dangerous hug, to be sure, but harmless none the less. But to the Prince… "_Oh_. Oh, that. Ah."

Cremia's hands flew to her mouth, stifling her own gasp. "So you _were_? What a horror!"

"Well, it wasn't… quite, what it seemed," Fi managed to stutter, hoping she didn't seem too outwardly flustered. Goddesses, what a mess. She bit back her '_Aaargh gods damnit Ghee!'_ and shook her head, giving an exasperated sigh. "My brother enjoys tormenting people, often at his own or my expense. I thought he would have grown out of it, but clearly he hasn't. After all the times I told him how _badly_ it reflects on him, too…"

Cremia's cornflower eyes widened, her jaw slack as she lowered her hands. "That's horrible! How could anyone find it entertaining?"

"_He_ clearly does."

"Then clearly there's something the matter with him," Cremia huffed, leaning forward and clasping one of Fi's hands, "I can't imagine what growing up with him must have been like."

Admittedly, fairly frustrating. Pigtails pulled when reading, being teased mercilessly till she learnt to bite back, intermittently being pranked and dragged into pranking other children as well as adults, not to mention the occasionally profane words that streamed out of his mouth until he learned to be shocking without being crass, all essentially leading to her mastering her own reactions to the point of resembling a statue even if he _had_ been doing or saying the most mortifying, inappropriate thing possible in the given situation.

But that did _not_ give a stranger the right to berate her only sibling.

"Well, at least Lord Father let me have horse steak whenever I suffered Ghirahim's pranks," Fi shrugged, face perfectly straight, "The Ordonian Draught is my favourite."

Fi wished she had a pictograph to forever cherish Cremia's look of utter gobsmacked horror.

And she couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Goddess, forgive me Cremia, I only jest. _That_ is the brand of my brother's jokes; he rather lives on other's reactions, and shock is so easy to cause. I may be partly to blame, considering I've learnt to hardly react at all. Truly, I apologize. Even as a demonstration it was very tasteless of me."

"Oh, well," Cremia said, looking a little green.

"Dearest sister mine," said a third sultry voice, making Cremia jump in her seat, "Why wasn't I told we would have company? I would have dressed for the occasion."

"Speak of the devil," Fi drawled as she turned in her seat, "Consider it comeuppance for not telling me of your arrival today."

"The devil am I?" he grinned, leaning over her chair to peer at their supposed guest, violet eyes gleaming from their snowy curtain, "Then I would presume you to be an angel, to set me on my true path?"

Cremia blushed deeply, as Fi suppressed the urge to bury her head in her hands.

Instead she leaned to the side, allowing herself more breathing space as she waved a hand between the two of them. "Lady Cremia Lon, this is my brother, Ghirahim Gladios."

"Pleasure," the redhead managed as Ghirahim gave a sweeping bow. He was still in his Choosing garb (of which Fi presumed he was successful, judging by his smug mood) which flattered his body and gave him an air of command, a sense of nobility that rivaled even the Prince. Fi was tempted to raise a brow at his pierced ear that she only just noticed, sporting a blue crystal that added a charm of danger to his self-presentation.

Goddesses, he was such a peacock.

"Lady Lon," he greeted, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles, "An honour to be acquainted with you. Forgive me for my disarray, and I offer you this in recompense."

He swirled his other hand and diamond sparks like night flickered round his fingers, conjuring a bright red zinnia with a crown of golden stems, which he gently slid into her hair.

Cremia was blushing crimson. "Oh, oh why thank you Lord Gladios, I,"

"Ah, this red looks cheap and inconsequential compared to your hair, my Lady," he crooned, slinking out of his bow to stand beside his sister, "Wouldn't you agree, Fi? Is she not breathtaking?"

"Ghirahim, behave," Fi muttered, and her brother grinned at her, slyly.

More pleasantries and good-days were shared before Ghirahim settled on the vacated seat, watching Cremia Lon leave, she watching him in turn. Fi still couldn't believe how he could smirk with one side of his mouth, all pride and self importance, whilst the remaining half managed to curl innocently and with sincerity. Truly, he embodied the phrase 'two-faced'.

"You do realise," she chastised, turning the knob on the lamp beneath her small silver pot, "That Lady Lon is courting Prince Link."

"_Is_ she now?" he whistled, as Fi rustled tea-leaves into a strainer, which she placed into the pot. "What a waste."

"A grave insult, whomever you refer to."

"Either. Neither. Both. What does it matter?" he watched her turn the hourglass on its head, and his smirk turned fond. "Still as precise as ever."

"Still as immature as ever," she retorted, setting cups aside and offering him a plate of apricots and cherries. He took them a little peevishly as she poured the red beverage into the porcelain, telling him to drink it while it was still warm.

"Yes, mother," he simpered sarcastically, though his brows rose in surprise on his first sip. When he replaced the cup he was smiling wolfishly once more. "Mulled wine."

"Thinned, admittedly," she conceded, raising her own in a silent toast, "But I figured you would prefer this."

"That I did. Thank you, Fi."

"Thank me by telling me of your travels," she shrugged, smiling softly, "I want to hear what you were up to."

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><p><strong>So yeah, that's my interpretation of Ghirahim. I admit I like shockingfreaking people out like he does, and I've actually made a similar joke (the one about horse steak) to a total stranger. Though it wasn't about horses, but a smaller, even cuter mammal. That look on their face, man. **

**I'm not a nice person, clearly. **

**Anyway, REVIEW REPLIES **

**_bookwormsrule_: Thank you! I hoped you liked my interpretation of Ghirahim as well. XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the previous. Thanks again!**

_**Ayako**_** Zetra: Isn't hair brushing the most soothing thing ever? Even for short hair, with the right brush and mood? Heaven. Over nine-thousand cool points? Aaaaaawwww YEEEEAAAAH. Thanks so much!**

_**MasterShortPantsx3:**_** Yay, always good to know I'm doing something write. :D **

_**Spaghetti Toast:**_** Nice name, lol. And nah, Sheik won't be showing up in this fic. I'm mostly focusing on Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess and Link Between Worlds characters, though I admit I haven't played the last game. I REALLY WANT TO THOUGH. **

**And that's it! Oh, thank you to _TMNT__ Redneck_ for adding this fic to their Follow list!**

**Reviews make my day! And my week! Keep them coming, guys!**

**S.S.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Finally, after the important character introductions, I give you PLOT! Something actually happens! Things get INTERESTING from now. **

**I hope. **

**Anyway. Thank you so much for your patience, and I give you, **

**His Sword Arm - Chapter 4**

**ACTUALLY WAIT.**

**One edit I should probably mention. Zelda's age. It was seven, at first, but now it's ten. I wanted to have her and Link be seven years apart in age, not ten. My bad. Apparently I shouldn't have graduated highschool math. **

**So yeah. Zelda's ten years old now.**

**ANYWAY**

**Here it is: **

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><p><strong>HSA - 4<strong>

By the end of spring and the cusp of summer, Fi had figured out a place in which she belonged. Which was, admittedly, not the best of places; she belonged somewhere outside of everyone else, too busy to socialize, too uninteresting for them to bother with. Instead she often found herself welcome by the staff, and the servants' corridors proved useful in moving around unnoticed. Yet despite her low rank and quiet demeanor Zelda seemed to like her, which was… bemusing, Fi supposed, since she'd never really dealt with a girl Zelda's age for long periods of time. Fi could hardly count her little cousin, since she only ever came to visit for Din's Day.

Still, Zelda liked Fi, which was flattering.

And she wasn't _completely _friendless. Fi had been relieved to find Lady Stonehearth of Snowpeak living in the castle too, an old, kind if gruff childhood friend. Sir Wardsworth, Ashei's aide, was clearly besotted with her. Poor Shad, Fi lamented with fondness. The three of them sometimes came together by the training lawns, Ashei's favourite haunt (for the weapons, mostly, though good looking men didn't hurt either), where they'd claimed a table for themselves, at which Fi spent most of her time enjoying the summer shade and spring breeze as she studied. To the side of her Ashei and Shad were playing chess, the former being taught its fine intricacies by the latter. Beyond them the Squires were sparring, though Ghirahim wasn't amongst them that day.

Ghirahim had made friends of his own, though 'friends' was a generous term. Fi prefered _lackeys._ It was a little depressing to note that even a lackey had lackeys of his own, a pyramid of semi-intelligent boys doting on her brother, whom Fi suspected to be almost too clever for his own good. His social sphere was as wide as hers was narrow; he flirted with any and all women, flattering them at least, capturing their hearts at most. It didn't miss Fi's notice that Ghirahim seemed to be particularly forward with Lady Lon, who blushed and swooned under his attentions.

"Can you _imagine_ the look on that Prince's face if I manage to steal his lady from him?"

Fi's innards had churned at his smirk.

"I'm being but a humble, loyal subject, testing the faith of his majesty's chosen," he had drawled when she had gripped his hand and told him, fiercely and with gritted teeth, _don't you even dare_, "If she strays for me, clearly she's not right for our beloved Prince Link, neh?"

Fi had given up after two weeks of him persistently chasing the redhead, and ceased to talk to him to avoid being associated with his schemes. Where did he find the _time_ to train and learn and flirt and have a social life, when she was often behind a stack of papers anyway? It was so… _irritating_.

"Well," Ashei commented idly as she knocked over one of Shad's pawns with her knight, "That line on your forehead tells me you're thinking about your brother. That, or whatever you're dealing with is giving you a hard time."

Fi smoothed her features and nodded. "A bit of both, unfortunately."

Shad made a noise as he bunched his hands into his hair.

"_That_ tells me you're being very careless," Fi said as Ashei frowned, "At this rate Sir Wardsworth's patience will be an irrevocable mess."

"It can't be that-"

"You've opened your King to defeat. Not attack, since attacks can be deflected, but _immediate _defeat_, _on _two fronts_, Lady Stonehearth."

"...Oh."

Shad made another noise, at a higher pitch. Ashei sighed and patted him, bemoaning his fate as her teacher. Fi pretended not to notice his blush.

"So what _are _you doing, Fi?"

"Managing the estate on Skyloft," she replied, and looked up when she received silence in turn. Puzzled by their shocked looks, Fi cocked her head. "Yes?"

"You're managing. _Your estate_. By letters?"

"Lady Gladios," Shad took his hands from his hair, quiet despair wiped from his long and angled face, "You have family remaining in the estate, do you not? Wouldn't _they_ be handling the estate?"

"The probability of Grandmother driving the estate to bankruptcy in our absence is so high, Father may as well set the manor on fire and be done with it." shrugging Fi ducked back into the long ledger of expenses and income. "At least with me the risks are manageable."

"Why isn't Master Gladios handling it, then?" Ashei queried, leaning over and scowling at the columns of numbers and equations, "As Head of House, wouldn't it be his duty?"

"It would have been had I not asked to do it myself," Fi replied, rounding up expenses and rounding down income as she stacked them on another piece of paper, testing the balance between optimistic goals and bare minimum budgets, "I thought it worth my time to learn the workings of home."

"Yes, but aren't you already studying tradesmanship under Master Gristmill?" Shad prodded, turning to her, clearly interested.

Fi nodded. "With his son, Malo, yes."

Ashei frowned. "Isn't he the same age as Zelda?"

"Younger. And for all that he is… uncomfortably shrewd."

Fi's companions thought of the little round boy, so very unlike squat, square Jaggle. Shad examined his glasses, and extracted a kerchief from his pocket to clean them. "Lady Gladios, didn't Malo have a brother?"

"Yes, Talo. An endearing scamp, if a little reckless. Zelda thinks him stupid. Then again, she thinks many boys her age are stupid."

Her companions snorted. "How is our little Grace, anyway?"

Fi smiled. "She is well, I think, though she struggles with History and would prefer to go hawking. She hasn't complained of any undue punishment, last I heard, and is looking forward to seeing Aryl of Koholint isles. Though…" Fi tapped the quill against her paper, thinking. "She may not be coming for the season. What news have you heard of Termina?"

Their expressions turned uneasy, knowing glances shared. Fi sighed through her nose as Ashei told rumours of snow-related disasters all around Snowhead because of the terrible winter, which had led many Gorons to hibernation so deep they were starving, and the people in her land were busy sending their neighbours aid. Shad spoke of the unrest in Clocktown brewed by a cult known for its pillaging and rather festive masks, how they targeted people who worshiped the Triforce.

"Do either of you have family in Termina?"

"No, but Lady Lon does," Ashei replied, scowling thoughtfully, "Her older sister married into the country. Anju, I think her name is. Hope this unrest dies down, for her sake. Terminians can be so… hot-blooded."

Fi set her notes aside, uneasy with the news. The reason she had requested the management of Skyloft and its lands was to prove that she _could_, and to petition an ambassadorial role in the southeastern borders of Hyrule, specifically between Lake Floria and Holodrum. But if conflict was likely towards the west… Could she possibly be permitted to stay at Snowpeaks? It was only a few miles to the west of Skyloft, and Snowpeaks controlled Glacier Pass that led to Termina's Snowhead…

She would think on it, and present her case to Father. For now, it would be best to ask after the situation in Termina. And Labrynna. That country shared borders with both Termina and Hyrule, so their ambassadors would be the ones to enquire after.

Fi jumped when a familiar voice squealed: "_Fi_!"

A blond bombshell of a girl smacked into her and the desk, and Princess Zelda, tiara askew, marvelled then shuddered at the pile of papers scattered over the table. "I thought you were doing something _fun_."

"Unfortunately not the case," Fi said with a hint of apology as her friends snickered, packing their chess game away. Zelda made a disgusted face at the chess pieces also before asking whether Fi was doing anything and if not she insisted that Fi would sit with her and Link at the Summer Courtyard where everybody would be gathered for snacks and tea and juice. "And," she added grudgingly, eyeing Shad and Ashei, "Would Lady Stonehearth and Sir Wardsworth like to come too?"

"Please," Fi said, as the two of them shared another glance, "The only ones I'm well acquainted with is the Princess."

"And Colin,"

"And Colin, yes," Fi repeated after Zelda, sounding unsure at best.

Ashei and Shad peered over the training grounds, where the Squires were also packing their gear away. Beyond them nobles ranging from Zelda's age to young adults a little older than themselves were milling about, politely waiting for their future liege, who was clutching Fi's sleeve.

"We would be honoured, your Grace." Ashei responded, bowing, Shad following suit.

"_Indeed_. I shall go get Lord Stu-, I mean Lord Brother. There's going to be lemon cakes!" giving an excited squeal Zelda skipped towards her peers and orchestrated an invasion of the Prince's privacy, waving haphazard flags in their wake.

"She's really taken a liking to you, Lady Gladios," Shad commented as they rose to their feet, "I suspect her Grace enjoys your company more than Lady Lon's."

"I doubt that," Fi demurred, but Ashei rolled her eyes and grinned.

"The only thing in doubt about Cremia Lon is her loyalty to the Prince. I hear your brother's been dallying with her?" Fi gave her a cold look and Ashei snirked. "I can't help that it's true."

Fi had to concede the point and let her shoulders droop as she collected her sheafs of paper and tucked them into her messenger bag, for which she'd earned many snickers by the nobility. "Sometimes I don't know what he's thinking."

"Who cares what he's thinking as long as what he's _doing_ is fun to watch?"

"Lady Stonehearth…"

"How many times have I told you to call me Ashei? We're friends, aren't we?"

Fi squirmed, though pleased. "It's, it's not very proper?"

"I wear trousers," Ashei deadpanned, and Shad's eyes flickered towards her legs as they headed towards the party, "I would have thought propriety would have escaped through the windows by now."

Fi gave a soft chuckle, and nodded. "I suppose. May I propose a compromise, _Lady Ashei_?"

Ashei rolled her eyes. "Fine. But are you _really_ going to call Shad _Sir_ Shad? Sounds like the beginning of a tongue-twister."

"Only if he prefers. Sir Wardsworth?"

"Whatever makes you most comfortable, Lady Gladios."

"Sir Wardsworth it is. It's a grand name."

"Thank you, Lady Gladios."

Ashei made a disgusted noise and the proper two shared a small grin. The Summer garden opened up before them as they stepped through the stone archway, pillars covered in vines dotting the court yard, fruit trees framing the open space. Fi picked a fuzzy berry from a pillar, her nail catching on its skin and bleeding green juice across her fingers. She gave it a quick taste as her companions found someone else to talk to, finding it thick-skinned and full of seeds, but devilishly sweet. "Kikwifruit," she muttered, licking her fingers.

Someone cleared their throat beside her and Fi found it to be the Prince.

"Lady Fi," he greeted, to which she gave a small bow, "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you," she greeted back, a maid offering to take her bag back to her room, to which Fi gratefully accepted, "And yourself, Lord Prince?"

"The same," he admitted, looking around, "Is your brother nearby?"

"Not that I'm aware," Fi replied, a growing ball of unease twisting in her gut as Fi watched his expression darken, following his gaze to see Lady Lon arriving to the party in a lavender dress, hanging on Ghirahim's every word. Beside her, Ashei snickered and Shad coughed.

Fi was thankful that Cremia wasn't hanging off Ghirahim's _arm_, since the Prince's gaze was hot enough to burn as it was.

"Never mind, I've found him," he gritted out, and followed after Ghirahim as he and the redhead parted ways.

"I'm not missing _this_," Ashei chuckled, jogging up to the Prince and tapping a hand against his arm.

Fi blinked at the gesture, watching them disappear into the crowd. "Are they close?"

"Well," Shad grumbled, taking two glasses of lemonade from a passing manservant and handing one to Fi, "I wouldn't know. They like to sparr."

"So, Lady Ashei enjoys fights," she murmured against her glass, thanking him for it, "She specializes with the halberd, yes?"

Shad looked at her over the rim of his drink, brows wiggling. "How did you know?"

"All children in the snows learn how to wield a spear," Fi said, biting back a smile, "But the spear seemed too… tame, for Lady Ashei. It was a lucky guess."

Shad made a conceding gesture, and sighed wistfully. "I still can't beat her in a fight."

"I just witnessed you trounce her," she countered wryly to which he rolled his eyes.

"At _chess. _But on these fields, physically? I don't have a chance."

"I wasn't even aware that you trained with a weapon."

"Being a hereditary knight, it comes with the name. Not that I'm any good with the sword. My speciality is, well. It's not one for battle," he admitted, drawing from a thin holster at his hip, "Knife-work, mostly for defensive maneuvers; assassins beware."

"It's a lovely blade," Fi commented as he tucked it away.

"Thank you. But, well. It's nothing compared to her, or dare I say you."

She snorted. "I haven't touched a spear since I was twelve. I'd say I was less prepared for a fight than, say, Lady Lon."

They grinned at each other and at the mental image of flowery, faint Cremia trying to wield a needle, much less a knife or spear. Then Shad sighed again, eyes straying towards the crowd in which Ashei and Link had disappeared. "I mean no disrespect to Lady Lon, of course, but… Ashei's a good person. I would have thought she and Prince Link would have made a better match."

Now _that_ was interesting. Fi took another sip of lemon water, puzzling that over. She could imagine the two in question getting along, in fact she could picture a halberd and a sword casting sparks amid friendly banter, but a _match_? The two of them courting? Fi imagined the sword and halberd again, sparking against the other, forever at odds. "Why?"

"Just, because," he said lamely, staring at his glass. Fi smiled at his morose profile, at that endearing dimple that appeared whenever he frowned.

"She deserves the best."

He met her gaze, looking almost cheated. "Yes. She does."

"Oh Shad," Fi sighed, seeing the topic of their conversation wending her way back to them as an idea bloomed in her head, "Prince Link may be _Prince_, but Lady Stonehearth could do better than even him."

"Oh come now. Like _who_?"

"Before I answer that, hold this for me?" she said, tucking her glass into his spare hand, and making sure Ashei was watching from the corner of her eye she cupped his face with a hand and kissed his cheek.

Shad froze. Fi wasn't sure how Ashei reacted, careful to keep her eyes solely on Shad, smoothing a lock of his hair back. "Yourself, of course."

Shad gaped.

"Excuse me," she added loudly, backing away with a wink, "I should go thank the Princess for the invitation again. I'll be back momentarily."

As she hurried off she thought she heard Ashei's offended "What was _that_?" and Shad's stammered excuses. She saw Zelda with a group of her peers, handing them cakes from the table they had gathered by, but Fi instead went to the young woman handling the group, her red hair sporting a blue zinnia at the nape of her neck.

"Lady Cremia?"

She spun round, smiling. "Lady Fi! How wonderful to see you."

"Likewise," Fi curtseyed, one of lower rank to a higher lady. "I hope the day has treated you well, my lady."

"You're too kind, Lady Fi. Romani, this is Fi Gladios, daughter of Advisor Gladios," Cremia said to a smaller version of herself, though this girl was dressed in earthy browns and pinks. The youngest Lady Lon blushed hotly as she gave a wobbly curtsey, mumbling an embarrassed hello. Fi curtseyed back, a little deeper than she had for Cremia, and Romani hid behind Cremia's skirt before asking to be excused. Cremia rolled her eyes and told her yes, and Romani scarpered off, joining Zelda's side.

Fi had found it difficult to keep a straight face. "She's adorable."

Cremia nodded, linking her fingers together, "But so painfully shy, it's amazing she's managed to be friends with any of the children, much less the Princess."

"She's done well," Fi commented lightly, "Much like yourself."

"Me? Well, yes, I suppose," Cremia said, a touch of laughter colouring her tone, "I never would have imagined Prince Link taking an interest in me, before coming here. Though sometimes I wonder if he loves Epona more than he does me."

"...Epona?"

Cremia's smile turned crooked. "The mare my family gifted him for his coming of age. An Ordonian Draught."

Ah. She should have known that tasteless barb would come back to haunt her. She'd known that the Lons were famous for their vast lands and the horses that grazed from them, hence the 'eating horse steak' nonsense, but to give it credibility she'd needed any breed as reference, and well. She knew why it was so famous, now. But she wasn't about to apologise again.

"I confess I'm very much an amateour when it comes to anything equestrian," Fi shrugged, "Though I have heard that breed is not very famous for warhorses."

"Yes," Cremia admitted, "We were all surprised when he chose her, especially since she was so... cantankerous. But Link insisted, saying that a common horse was befitting a Prince with a common name, or some such."

Fi nodded and braced herself for unpleasantness. "How is the Prince, by the way?"

Cremia pressed her arm against her torso, looking away. "Fine, but distant. It's understandable, of course, a Prince has much to do, but sometimes... it's as if he expects me to just be there, waiting for him. As I said, I wonder if he loves that horse more than myself. But he is fine."

"He seemed far from fine when he saw you and my brother together."

Cremia whipped round and glared at her. "How _dare_ you."

"How dare I?" Fi repeated tonelessly, "How dare I what, my lady? It is only an observation."

But her face was flushed with embarrassment and anger, and her teeth were showing as she spoke. "Your brother has shown me great kindness and you're twisting it into something malicious, Lady _Gladios_, and I do not appreciate your observations."

"I know my brother, and I believe I told you of his humours."

"He has shown me no such tasteless humour, unlike you."

"True," she acceded with another shrug, "But nonetheless your close association with him is damaging your relationship with Prince Link. I only wished to warn you of that."

"Who I spend my time with is none of your business."

"Ghirahim is my _twin_. As such it is half my business." then she cocked her head, contemplatively. "Was it him that suggested the Prince was being distant?"

Cremia opened her mouth, closed it, and glared.

Fi sighed, curtseying again. "Thank you for your time, Lady Cremia. This was far from enjoyable."

"Always so graceful," Cremia said, making Fi blink, "You're like a swan, Lady Gladios, truly."

Somehow she had the feeling that this sudden topic change was not going to go in her favour. "Thank you?"

"So poised and beautiful, if a little plain. Well. Very plain. Don't you love the way they glide over the water? How easy they make it look? Yet one wonders how _desperately_ those awkward feet must be paddling beneath the surface." One leaned forward, smiling grimly as the other leaned back. "Have you seen them walk on land? Great big waddling messes throwing their weight around just to take a step. So, _Miss_ Swan, you may glide through your books and your manners, but in terms of _this_ society, you are on _dry land_."

Fi told herself not to flinch. Not to even blink. Her fists were clenched, as were her teeth, her face a smooth mask of indifference as she said, "Swans break bones."

Cremia's expression soured. "Excuse me?"

"Swans have surprisingly agile necks," Fi explained serenely, confidence behind every word uttered, "Capable of inflicting similar damage as say, a snake. Attack a swan and you risk a snapped wrist. They are fierce, and stubborn, and most of all underestimated, so I thank you for your compliments, Lady Lon. Now if you will-"

There was a violent cough near the children. Fi felt her stomach plummet as Cremia spun round, gasping at the sight of a brown haired boy doubled over in the grass, red dripping from his mouth.

A blonde boy was crouched beside him, shaking his shoulder. "Talo?"

Cremia screamed when Romani bent over, throwing up half-digested cake.

Fi clapped a hand to her mouth, panic threatening to override her mind as Zelda in the midst of it all called her friends' names as they dropped, one by one, crying out that their stomachs were aching and they were throwing up muck tinged with bright blood, and the Princess was crying and screaming _stop it stop it it's not funny_ and they needed people to stop eating _right now._

"Poison," Fi gasped between her fingers as the surrounding young adults began to take real notice, "_Poison_!"

Fi regretted it immediately as everyone started running, screaming as if the children were contagious. Cremia was holding onto Romani as the little girl convulsed, hacking on bile and blood, and Fi grabbed the hysterical Princess and dragged her away from her friends, never mind the kicking and screaming. She snagged a manservant and nearly tripped him with her iron grip and _ordered_ him to find a healer or medic or _someone_ right that second. He stammered obedience and Fi released him and then she spotted Prince Link racing to their side, her other companions right behind him. He was deathly pale. "Zelda!"

"She's fine," Fi strangled out as the Prince skidded to a stop beside them, holding the Princess tight as she bawled and bawled and bawled, "But her friends, goddesses they need-"

"Romani! Romani _no_!" the little redhead was terrifyingly still in her sister's arms. "_Romani_!"

"Give her to me," Ghirahim said, scooping the girl out of the lady's arms, "Wardsworth, Stonehearth, _hurry_!"

Ashei and Shad leapt into action, grabbing a child each and hauling them up, ignoring the blood and sick, and Link was shushing Zelda and telling her to stick with Cremia as he promised to save Colin. Then they were all storming away, and Fi was collapsed on the grass amidst the putrid smell and the two hysterical girls wailing in each other's arms; heart hammering with wild, wild panic, letting it eat her alive.

... ... ... ... …

* * *

><p><strong>Dun dun duuuuun.<strong>

**So there it is, the exciting thing. Right at the end of the chapter. **

**Bit of a cop-out, I know, but forgive me?**

**Before I go into review replies, I'd just like to say THANK YOU! I was amazed by the number of reviews I got for the last chapter (I wonder if this means Ghirahim needs more screentime...) and such a positive response, too!**

**Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you all again! XD**

_**MasterShortPantsx3:**_** Oh yeah, that line. XD Funnily enough, that was exactly what _I_ thought when I played the game. I was kinda disappointed with Nintendo when he ended up like that, cuz he just seemed like another Zant. Plot twist at the end totally made up for him, though. And yes I did favourite one of your stories. The ghostie one. It was original! Thank you so much for your support, and see you again soon!**

_**Ayako**_** _Zetra:_ I love that Dragon Ball Z quote. XD Oh God Ghirahim is _so_ suggestive *facepalm* the kind of character you love to hate, right? Anyway, thank you for the review! Glad you enjoyed it XD**

**_Hero-of-Cheese_: Oh Ghirahim. In real life you would have a book solely made out of restraining orders. I'm actually really surprised that Fi doesn't have many fics, I mean, _it's Fi._ She's up there with Midna in terms of coolness. Definitely above Navi. **** Anyway I'm rambling. Hope you had fun reading this!**

_**bookwormsrule: **_**Oh yeah, Skyview. I was like (0_o) the whole time he was introducing himself. Hope you enjoyed this, and I look forward to hearing from you again!****  
><strong>

_**Lady Kurina:**_** Thank you so much! Balancing out Fi and Ghirahim and their personalities is easy; it's just a matter of making them believable as _siblings_, you know? Oh, Link. He just doesn't know how high the level of crazy Ghirahim has in him. I can tell you now they're not going to like each other. :P**

_**Code Geass Viceroy**_** Destiny: Thank you so much, really! It's awesome to see an old name and know that they still enjoy your writing, truly. Thank you so, so, much. I was initially tempted to make Ghirahim a cousin or something, but I thought, you know, twins make more sense. And tension. Writers live on tension, right? XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and I look forward to hearing from you again!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone!**

**Thank you all for comign all the way here, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I won't be updating this for a while, i think, I'm heading off somewhere for a holiday so there won't be much writing and updating, for like, a month. **

**Sorry!**

**It doesn't help that nothing overly exciting happens in this chapter...**

**ANYWAY! Here it is, chapter 5!**

* * *

><p><strong>HSA - 5<strong>

None of them were going to die.

As soon as that was apparent Fi hurried to the Throne Room, heart racing wildly, dread coursing through her with each frantic beat. Was there a precedent to this kind of situation? Such a direct, precise attack on the Royal Family and its nobility? Fi doubted it. Worse, the victims were _children_, and the parents would be howling for vengeance; the Aviary would be flooded with angry letters demanding reprisals, stables would be trampled with horses bearing messengers or parents themselves, or Goddess forbid, soldiers readying for battle.

Mother above. This was a recipe for a massacre. This could mean war.

_But with who_?

Fi slid to a stop by a painting and opened the wall behind, slipping into the servants corridors through it. She sprinted, gasping, to the door leading to the Throne Room, catching her breath before opening it a crack. Sure enough the council had gathered, their expressions storms. They were eyeing the great doors that the nobility or the public used for their hearings, and before Fi could peer round to see who they were waiting for, they burst open with a resounding _bang_.

Prince Link. He looked ready to murder someone.

The greetings that followed were terse, urgent, and they marched straight to the Study behind the Throne Room, and Fi bit her lip. The Hall before the Throne was public space, so there was no true issue with sneaking from here, but the _Study_? If she was caught, if she was accused of having anything to do with the poisoning…

She could be charged for conspiracy to treason.

But if she wanted to know what was going on behind those doors, well. Fi closed that door and went down to the next, opening it gently, pressing an ear to the crack.

"_Are you sure_," was one advisor's strangled question, and Link's response was too soft to hear, but judging from the sigh of relief, it was good news.

Fi daren't try to peek; it would mean opening the door further and that would've been a fantastically _stupid_ move.

"So what is being done?" said an older voice, one Fi may have recognized; Head Advisor Auru Stonehearth, great uncle to Ashei and chief of the three advisors under the King's employ.

"I've ordered the Kitchen staff to be rounded up," Link responded, "And all associated with that party to be put under arrest in the servants' hall."

"The poisoned foodstuffs?"

"Are being collected as we speak."

"Very good."

Fi was losing track of who was speaking already. She was tempted to close her eyes to better hear the conversation, but that was bound to be another stupid move. At least this way she could keep an eye on whoever might come towards her; she would have to hope nobody snuck from behind.

"We were lucky."

"_Lucky_? Someone wants to murder our children and you're saying we're _lucky_?"

"They failed. They-"

And then the others were telling the two arguing men to lower their voices and they were told to shut up and everything went downhill from there. Fi suppressed the urge to open the door wider to hear _any_ sort of sane conversation, and was someone saying that they were waiting for a report? From who? All the advisors were present unless they were referring to the soldiers rounding up the-

There was a featherlight touch on her neck, cold and sharp. "Hello, little mouse."

Fi flinched, but didn't move. She dared not move. Whoever was behind her sounded unamused to the extreme.

"State your name."

Fi took a deep breath, nearly whispering. Her hands were shaking. "Fi Gladios of Skyloft Cliffs."

"I see," said the voice. A woman, Fi thought, as the flat of the cold blade inched over her throat, "And what are you doing here?"

"Making sure my father doesn't issue advice that might send us to war," Fi said tonelessly, pretending it was Ghirahim behind the knife, someone who wasn't actually going to hurt her, "And seeing what my future may be like."

"You may not even have a minute let alone a future, little mouse."

"If you insist on referring to me with a derogatory endearment," she gritted out, pressing against the wall in a bid to keep away from the blade and its edge, "I prefer swan."

A soft laugh, and the blade retracted, and Fi's knees gave out on her. The woman grabbed her elbow before she could fully collapse on the floor and Fi's hand flew to try and protect herself but it knocked against the ajar servants' door instead, making it rattle.

The argument in the study died down and Fi felt herself blush.

"Who's there?" was the muffled call.

"It is I, Lord King," said the woman, hauling Fi onto her feet, "With the report, and the first witness."

Before Fi could protest the door opened, and she found herself face to face with the Prince, who looked harassed beyond measure. "Lady Fi? What're you-"

"Excuse me, Lord Prince," the woman said, pushing Fi into him and forcing them through, "But I prefer not to be seen."

Fi snatched her arm back from the iron grip, keeping her hands to her sides and telling herself that she wasn't going to admit to any pain, none whatsoever. Her blush was under control, her face a smooth mask once more. Link's eyes flitted from her to the woman, and Fi took the chance to have a proper look at her as well, as she bowed to the King.

A willow of a woman, she was tall and lanky but strong, her skin the shade of walnuts. Her hair was neatly tied back and her clothes were dark, sensible, and the knife from before was nowhere to be seen.

"Gentlemen, I give you my Spymaster, Lady Impaz," said the King, gravely nodding back, "What do you have?"

"The poison was meant to kill; the fact that none of the children died is a small miracle," she said without preamble, making one of the men wince, "The poison, judging by the symptoms, was the Kalle Demos, a vine common in the Forbidding Forests of the Koholint Archipelago. It was only present in the lemon cakes specifically ordered for the children, hence why the rest of the guests were spared."

"Who did this?" growled the King, thin lipped behind his mighty beard, knuckles pale as he gripped the arms of his throne.

"We can only speculate at this moment, your Highness," Lady Impaz continued, "But two of the kitchen staff responsible for the confections are unaccounted for, and my apprentice is in search of them. Once we have them in custody we will know if they were working of their own volition or if they were hired by an outside force."

"Any theories?"

"This lady here said something interesting," she said with a smirk-worthy tone, and Fi felt her heart stutter when everyone-_everyone_- in the room turned to stare at her.

"Forgive me but who is this?" said the most belligerent of the group, a common-faced man with a regal nose, thick eyebrows lowered with suspicion. He shifted on his feet, his armour rustling like metal leaves. The emblem of the Captain of the Guard glinted from his shoulder. "And what has she to do with the incident?"

"She is Fi Gladios of Skyloft Cliffs, the first witness," Lady Impaz replied as Fi reminded herself to curtsey, "And she was the one who had the Medical Wing alerted to the poison."

"I only requested assistance be brought to a manservant," Fi demurred, looking down, "It is he who warned the healers."

"Nevertheless, half those children would have been beyond saving without _her_ swift response," the Spymaster continued, still addressing the man. "You would do well to thank her, Sir Fortson."

Fortson flinched, and nodded. Removing his helm he bowed deeply at the young woman, startling her. "I owe you a debt, Lady Gladios. My son may well be dead without you."

"Oh, no, please," Fi responded, frantically connecting the clues. Son? Who was she being thanked for? Fortson. She didn't know that name, but did she know that hair? Blonde, and then under those sharp eyebrows were the kindest eyes, and it clicked. "Consider it paid, Sir Fortson; Colin has shown me much kindness, and as Lady Impaz said, I was only lucky. And it was the Prince himself who took him to be treated, so truly. You have nothing to thank me for."

Her father's handsome face nearly twisted into a glare. Nearly. "So what was this… _interesting_ comment?"

"Ah... well, I, I don't mean to presume, and it was off-hand at best. A fear than a suspicion."

"Yet I had the same feeling," Lady Impaz said grimly, turning back to the King. "If the poison was planted by an outside force, I believe they are trying to drive us to war. Either against Termina or the Archipelago."

"_War_?" said the final advisor, the oldest man in the room, Master Eldin Sahasrahla, "Who would benefit from _that_?"

"That is the question," Master Stonehearth grumbled, cracking his knuckles. "Making weapons is expensive, time consuming. If this was to send us to war, they would be prepared."

"Are we not leaping to conclusions?" Master Gladios retorted, now obviously glaring at his daughter, "Are we to put our faith in a young woman's fears?"

Lady Impaz turned on the man, and a smile flitted across her face. "Then what other explanation do you have? Theories are appreciated until we have more evidence concerning the culprits. Once evidence presents itself we can cut out the tripe and assemble the more plausible ideas."

His glare receded, but despite his neutral expression he managed to look put out. "Could it not be one of the vassals hoping to be rid of competition? I hear some of these children's inheritances are contested by relatives. Then there is Lady Lon; as the Prince's favoured Lady she is a potential target."

"Yet the poison was planted in the food specifically for the children, not Lady Lon."

Master Gladios frowned.

"Either way," Master Stonehearth rumbled, eyeing his colleagues, "It is clear that whoever set this up wanted to attack the parents through their children; specifically those in favour thanks to the Princess's friendship."

"I doubt they would want her favour _now,_" Nohansen growled, and Link's expression twisted. "How am I to appease them? Goddesses be damned, without a culprit how am I to calm their anger?"

Fi hoped someone, _anyone_, would say what she wanted to say. It was obvious.

"Justice must be served," Master Sahasrahla nodded slowly, "When will these two suspects be apprehended?"

"As I said, my apprentice is working on it."

He nodded again before turning to the king, bowing as much as his old back would let him. "We must be more visual; have men be sent to the city and the neighbouring towns, your Highness. Have them investigate apothecaries and potion-makers. Assassinations leave hardly any trail, thus we must trust in Lady Impaz for more precise leads, but your people may not understand this. They must see that you _are_ taking this matter in hand."

"I will see it done. Stonehearth?"

The advisor scratched his cropped and peppered beard, grunting. "I urge you search for the reasons behind this attack. If this was an attempt on the Princess from an outside power, then war _is_ an entirely possible motive. We could send out a rumour that you are contemplating it to observe how our neighbours react. If these two culprits are not caught, we must ask ourselves: _who benefits_?"

"My messengers will be busy tonight," the King sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Anything to add, Gladios?"

"If we are so set on this being an organised assasination attempt by a large force of unknown nature, then perhaps it may be best to take precautionary measures against a second attack. Inform the whole court. Make the nobles with children of Zelda's age aware of the danger."

Stonehearth frowned sharply. "And spread paranoia? Is that so wise?"

Fi's father gazed coolly back, "And leave them in the dark? Is that any wiser?"

"Perhaps," Sahasrahla butted in with soothing waves of his hands, "A warning would be best issued out once the children themselves are in better condition. We cannot have panic spreading when we ourselves are vulnerable."

"Agreed," Stonehearth nodded firmly, and Gladios followed soon after. His old eyes, however, flickered towards Impaz, and he raised an eyebrow before adding, "And what would _your_ opinion be, Lady Gladios?"

Fi nearly flinched, but it was such a relief to be asked she let out a slow breath, calming her nerves. "I think the children should be sent home as soon as they recover, if they so wish it."

The Prince spun on her, hands fisted by his sides. "_What_?"

"Practically speaking," she reasoned, linking her hands and speaking directly to the King, "The only reason the attack was so successful was because they were gathered here, under the same roof. So we must scatter the targets, send them back to their respective homes, to lower the risk of a second attack. I understand that this is an important tradition, to have these children stay over the summer, but it has been made apparent that _it is no longer safe_. The staff have been infiltrated, and the children were _meant_ to die. For this reason it is imperative that they be allowed to leave if they so wish. To appease your people, I believe it best to promise them back their safety before they demand it of their own volition. And I believe that would be the first step."

"That would weaken the resolve of the nobility, my daughter," Master Gladios said with no small hint of reprimand, "We must stand united against this threat."

If she had the authority, or the confidence, she would have told him _exactly_ what wolfos thought of unity if their pups were bloodied, but instead turned to the Prince. "If you could take Zelda away from this danger, right this very moment, would you?"

The look of outrage escalated as he opened his mouth, but he didn't speak. Instead he drooped, sighing and nodding, rubbing the cruel line from his brow. "Yes. If Romani wasn't barely conscious Cremia would be demanding the same."

Fi bit back any more reasonings she was tempted to make, instead eyeing both the Prince and the King, who were in turn having a staring contest of their own. Link dropped his hand from his forehead and said, "We have to offer them the choice."

"What of the Festival, then?"

"We'll push it to winter," Link suggested, shrugging tiredly. "The Windwaker's Dance is applicable as long as it's a solstice, and it'll give us time to find whoever did this before gathering the family heirs again. By then, we might feel safe. And vindicated."

There was clearly nothing else left to add, so the King dismissed them, and they were left to their own devices. Fi immediately went to the Prince's side, worry lacing her words.

"How is Zelda?"

"She's probably cried herself to sleep and having nightmares," Link replied bitterly, barging out the door and making a beeline back to the infirmary, "Cremia is understandably hysterical, and Romani was breathing when I left."

"I am so sorry."

"About what? That these kids may never trust what Zelda gives them again? That her friends are going to be taken away from her this summer? That… _gods damnit_ I want to kill whoever did this." he spat as he stormed away, slamming the doors open to return to his sister and sweetheart.

"I hope you get the chance," Fi murmured, flinching when she turned to find her father and Lady Impaz standing behind her. Hastily, she curtseyed. "Yes, father?"

"The Spymaster wishes to speak with you," he said, sweeping past her, "I shall return to my quarters to draft appropriate letters; send Ghirahim to me at the earliest opportunity."

"Yes, father," she responded with her head still bowed, lifting her eyes slowly to find Lady Impaz smirking at her. "How may I be of service, Lady Impaz?"

"Let me congratulate you on your conduct first, Lady Gladios," she said, waving her back towards the Study, "Your thoughts were a welcome contrast to what I'm used to hearing from these men."

"...Thank you?"

"So you want to be one of them when you're of age," the willowy woman surmised, smirking wider when Fi nodded. "Just like your mother."

Fi nearly tripped. Instead she stopped, stomach churning, and Lady Impaz had to halt and spin round to hear Fi's tremulous whisper. "You… you knew my mother."

The smirk turned fond. "She was a ward in the Kakariko region. We grew up together."

"Oh. Oh, I, I didn't know."

"Apologies for sticking a knife in your neck," she added with a blasé wave, beckoning Fi over as she continued to walk, "It's part of the profession, unfortunately. How have you enjoyed the castle, aside from this sordid poisoning business? Zelda is very fond of you."

And finally it clicked. "_Zelda_. I knew I'd heard your name before."

"Oh? In what capacity?"

Fi raced to her side, mind moving as quickly as her feet. "I'd assumed you were a teacher or nursemaid, but you're more than that. You are her..." eyes roaming over the muscled silhouette, it didn't take long to guess. "Protector. But not a soldier. An assassin."

"Such indelicacy," Lady Impaz drawled with dry humour, leading her through to the servants' halls. "But very astute. I prefer the term Shield, for now, and if I still have this position when she is of age, I will be her sword arm. I hear you like these corridors."

"I find them useful," Fi admitted as Lady Impaz closed the door behind them, "Lady Impaz, may I ask what you need me for?"

"I do not necessarily need you," Impaz clarified, leading her still, "I only wish to make a proposition."

"This proposition being…?"

"Would you care to spy for me?"

Fi was nearly tempted to halt again, but Impaz relentlessly moved forward, forcing her to follow. "Excuse me?"

"Spy. For me," she repeated, prying open a loose board in the wall and slinking through it catlike, crooking a finger to make sure Fi followed. She did so reluctantly, feeling like a mouse being devoured by a maze with teeth, closing the wood behind her with a final click. Lady Impaz's voice echoed from below, and Fi's stomach plummeted at the idea of walking down stairs in the pitch dark. "Your log of books borrowed is telling, Lady Gladios; you seem to have a voracious appetite for knowledge, and the kind ladies your age usually don't realise even exist."

"I will take that as a compliment," Fi muttered as she toed her way down as quickly as she could.

"It is. _But_ they are outdated, and far too specific for one such as yourself, whom I am assuming is in want of the broad scope rather than the miniscule details. Correct?"

There was a light at the end of the spiralling staircase, for which Fi was immensely grateful. "I suppose, yes."

"Byrne," Impaz said, and to Fi's horror the door closed. The rest of her sentence was muffled by the wood.

Scrambling down Fi felt around for a latch, anything, to pry the door open. But she felt no groove, no latch, and she was tempted to strike a fist against the door for the sheer absurdity of the whole afternoon. This morning had been _fine_ but children had been poisoned and she was being recruited by a spy and that spy had just locked her in the dark. It was _offensive_.

Fi took a deep breath, searched at eye-level for some sort of ring; that had been what she'd pulled to close the door upstairs, so it stood to reason that there would be a similar one here. There was. She twisted it, pressing an ear to the wood, but there was no noise. Push? Little to no effect. Slide…?

A peephole shot a needle of light against her forehead, for which Fi was immensely grateful. She raised a hand against the light to see things a little clearer, but there was only the ring, and the groove in which it belonged. So…

She slid it the other way, and the door followed its trajectory.

"Ah," Impaz said, a proud glint in her eye, "That was quicker than expected."

Fi nodded blankly at this absurd woman, concocting a cutting refusal to her proposition to be a spy (_a spy_, the sheer ridiculousness of it) before eyeing the young man behind her, this man that must be called Byrne.

A tall, muscled, heavy-browed young man with his face covered by a dark cloth and his even darker hair tied back in a topknot. On one hand was a gauntlet that matched his presence; deadly, jagged and harsh.

Fi's planned speech wilted in his presence.

"Fi Gladios, meet Byrne, my apprentice. If you would be interested in joining us, at least until this investigation is over, he would be the one to train you."

His brows twisted violently. "_What_? This frail thing?"

"Mountain girls know how to wield a spear, and this girl skates," Impaz shrugged even as Fi stammered protests, "That takes some strength in the legs, and a sense of balance necessary for our line of work. She could provide us access to places only the highborn can go, and what is more, that door. You saw how quickly she handled it, and did you even notice she was there until I told you?"

He glowered at her.

"What do you say, Lady Gladios? Join us, and you will have Hyrule's networks mapped out before you in real time. You could learn _far_ more than from any old book, and Byrne, I'm sure, could use the company. Also? Stonehearth was Spymaster before me, and look where that led him."

"I…" she eyed the gauntlet, the man and his glare. There was a touch of a sneer to his eye at the mention of Advisors. "You don't believe I would be capable of this, do you."

The sneer turned less derogatory, more challenging. "That is up to you, _my lady_."

"I see," Fi said coolly, drawing herself up to her full height, which compared to him was not impressive. "Challenge accepted."

"Excellent," Impaz said, "I knew you'd get along."

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaaand, intermission!<strong>

**There will be Ghirahim in the next chapter. And the one after that, too. ****XD **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, despite the lack of action (there WILL be action, I promise, just not yet) and yeah. I love Skyward Sword Impa. But Impa with a 'z' from Twilight Princess was adorable, so I mixed the two up. **

**I don't why I decided to make Auru and Ashei related, but you know what? They're awesome. It must be genetic. **

**REVIEW REPLIES!**

_**LeFireSpy: **_**Thank you! I feel like a terrible person targeting children from the get-go, but hey, the things to get an interesting cliff-hanger, right? I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you come back for more!**

_**MasterShortPantsx3:**_**It's always the case with games right? Minions have lords who have lords... it's a ladder that never ends! And the sass. Admittedly not much sass in this chapter, but yeah, Cremia has so much sass. She would be the bestest friend if you were shy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and I look forward to hearing from you again!**

_**love3509: **_**Fi's from Skyward Sword, have you played that Zelda game? I'm personally a die-hard Twilight Princess person (so deliciously dark!) but Fi really interested me because she was arguably the most interactive side-kick of the Zelda series (that I've played/know of, which isn't that many to be honest). Glad you enjoyed it! I look forward to your next review!**

**Special thanks to!**

**tpzelink, Hero-of-Cheese, goldenrhino, LeFireSpy, ragelinkin, for the follows!**

**Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah (did I spell that right?), Jolly Holidays, Awesome Yule and Glad Tidings of Balance (or whatever the Jedi's say) to you all!**

**Sincerely,  
>S.S.<strong>


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